Tenebrous Tower

Entrance Hall

2007-03-01T01:38:00.000-06:00

Sound of the large oak doors filled the entrance hall as they opened. Delvin, as he was known, stepped through the doorway into the tower he had been searching for.

"Prynn!" he yelled out to an empty room. "Prynn! Show yourself!"

Delvin looked about, eyeing nothing and everything all at once. He knew well this trickster. This user of magics unknown to him. He would not be fooled so easily this time.

Delvin was a trickster himself. Moving from place to place, he prided himself on taking what he could and killing those who got in his way.

At age 45, however, Delvin was beginning to slow down a bit. He was always unkempt now; his short sandy-gray hair beginning to show the age of his thin face. Despite all this, he still carried his two kukri and his short bow with him at all times. They had never left him when he needed them. They would never curse him and run off with his wife. No, his treasured weapons always did as he said, and well.

The old thief was a master at arms. He could steal the drumstick from your hand and kill you with it. It had gotten him far. It had gotten him "it".

Delvin reached for curved sword on his back and unsheathed it to look at it one more time. It was a master-piece. The blade was about three to four feet long, curved, and had been folded over thousands of times when being made. The hilt was ornamental with a wolf's head at the bottom. Delvin had never seen a sword like this and was impressed with it in every way.

Sheathing the prized possession, Delvin decided it was time to move on with his mission.

Revenge on Prynn.

Arcane Garden

2007-02-25T13:00:00.000-06:00

Tibs marched through the open archway of the arcane garden on the second level of the tower, her red face complementing her auburn hair. "Maybe Jezel is right, I shouldn't waste my time on a 1st Sphere."

Taking a deep breath to calm herself down, she walked across the high-ceilinged rectangular room. The warm summer air tickled her ears as it blew in and out of the tall, open windows of the garden. Ethyl berries had begun growing in the sills outside the windows, their clashing colors of red, blue and purple running along the soil like a horde of fireflies dancing crazily.

More composed now, Tibs walked over to a large green plant growing in the corner of the large room and began picking at it absentmindedly. Looking up, she observed the setting sun splash across the gorgeous landscape. There was nothing for miles around the tower, except endless forest and large mountains and rivers in the distance. The sunlight reflected off the snow in the mountains and the water in the rivers, creating a rather soothing sensation for the casual observer.

Tibs smiled as the scent of a hundred different flowers passed her nose on the passing breeze. If the wild colors in the sills and pots outside the windows caused people headaches, the flora inside was no relief. A myriad of shades and hues stood out from different flowers, berries, roots, vines, and even some small trees that would remain in the garden until they had outgrown their home. Several of these vines reached across the cold, grey stone on the floor, tangling themselves up across the door of the shed where the tools were kept. Tibs knew those vines weren't there as a lack of botany care on the part of the tower's owner, but rather as a means to keep out those who had no business entering the small, wooden structure.

The magical, some say, sentient vines, that had decidely crawled upwards instead of down found themselves locked in an eternal struggle with the large iron wheels that composed the hanging gardens. Unique, golden-green leaves hung from long strands of hair-like greens, whose use was unknown to Tibs. She rather liked how the sunlight bounced off the leaves and splayed itself across the floor, however, so she found no need to discover their purpose. Intermittenly hung around the iron wheels were crystals of different shapes, sizes and hues, and Tibs had always wondered if they had grown or were placed there. She made a mental note to ask the Archwizard, if she ever saw him, that is.

Entrance Hall

2007-02-25T11:18:00.000-06:00

Nex crossed the grand, circular rug in the entrance hall, carrying a tome towards the east library. He muttered while he walked sluggishly towards the tall, thick wooden door of the library, complaining about having to scrub the entire first level today. Upon crossing the threshold of the library, a girl with a sullen voice called out his name.

"Nex! I have the best news..."

Nex appeared to completely ignore her as he slammed the door to the library behind him.

"Don't take it personally Tibs, he is quite the jackass."

A tall, blond-haired boy strutted into the room, confidence evident in every step. He appeared older than Tibs by several years, as displayed by his nicely-muscled body topping out at above six feet. His blue eyes searched her face for a moment, almost mockingly, as he slowly approached her.

"He's just a 1st Sphere, little girl."

"Oh, shut up Jezel. What do you know." Tibs' long, auburn hair swung wildly about her head as she marched out of the room, heading up to the second level of the tower.

Jezel smirked and swung his head slightly from side to side. "Little girls, can't tell their ass from their face."

He laughed to himself and floated over to the east library door, a mischievous smile playing on his well-defined jaw. Throwing the door open, he let it slam against the outer wall and abruptly close behind him.

He spotted Nex on his hands and knees, attempting to shove a book into a bottom shelf. Jezel swaggered up to the small brown-haired boy and gave him a playful kick on the bottom with his boot.

Nex whirled around, his face red, and cursed loudly at the 16-year old boy towering over him. He struggled to his feet and shouted, "What the hell do you want, Jezel?"

Jezel stretched his features into a mock, concerned face. "I simply came to help you, little boy. But I can see your foulness is assistance enough for you."

He raised his left hand into a fist, appearing to ready himself to strike the small boy. Turning the fist around, he examined his nails and began cleaning them with this thumb, chuckling while Nex recoiled in fear. Blowing on his nails and rubbing them lightly on his purple tunic, Jezel turned to leave.

Nex screamed wildly, "Hey! I'm not done with you asshole!"

He raised a small finger and shot a magical ray of light at Jezel's head, who shifted his head ever so slightly to one side, the ray striking the wall and removing a small piece of stone.

"Tsk, tsk, little boy." Jezel waved two fingers lightly, but Nex appeared to have not noticed. "It appears you are not properly trained in the art yet." Nex howled in laughter as he left the library, letting the door slam once more.

Nex looked around confused, not understanding what Jezel was talking about. Groping his body angrily for any magical alterations, his hand stopped when it grazed the leg of his pants. There was a growing, warm spot there.

His curses echoed throughout the tower.

Welcome

2007-02-24T14:23:00.000-06:00

Legend speaks of a place far outside the traveled realms of men, beyond the known and unknown forests, mountains and oceans. Some say they have glimpsed a tower in this place, but many of these stories are attributed to hallucination because not one person has been said to reach the location, or to not return with any memory of doing so.

No one has ever been seen leaving the dense forest where the tower supposedly resides, not in the common folk's collective memory, anyway. Little is known of the owner, if there is such a person any longer. Tales of strange magic are carried by a few, but most are lacking in credibility, and the tale-spinners seem to be greatly muddled or quite strange themselves.

In a city thousands of miles away, a group of curious city officials subsidized by their government intend to make the treacherous journey to the tower, determined on uncovering its secrets once and for all. Months have passed, and the day approaches when this group will reach the tower. What surprises await them? Will they find anything at all? And most intriguing, will they even make it back alive?

Welcome, to Tenebrous Tower.